The House Armed Services Committee will take up the 2017 policy bill next week, but with a budget resolution stalled, it is unclear how much money it will have to authorize for Defense Department programs. – Defense NewsWhen it comes to overseeing the Air Force’s next-generation bomber, Congress has a fine line to walk. The Air Force wants to keep certain details about the B-21 under wraps to protect the program from foreign competitors who might try to steal its cutting-edge technology. But on a potentially $100 billion program, some argue the taxpayers deserve to know exactly where their money is going. – Defense NewsThe Army has successfully conducted a key flight test of its Northrop Grumman-built missile defense command system leading up to a production and deployment decision, according to Northrop. – Defense NewsRep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) writes: The “phased modernization” plan remains an ill-advised one that Congress should continue to oppose. Both cruisers and amphibious ships are badly needed by our combatant commanders at present, and demand for these assets will only grow as air and missile threats proliferate and the Marines return to the sea. Rather than cutting force structure, Congress should be holding the line and keeping our existing ships in service, so that in cooperation with the next administration we can begin the important work of rebuilding our Navy and growing our fleet to the size we need. – Military TimesMackenzie Eaglen writes: A new Congress and leadership team at the Pentagon in 2017 should focus on these three areas of overdue and underappreciated reform when building a blueprint for governing in the next administration. Each is a complicated effort that will not be solved in just one year. But the benefits of sustained attention and care by policymakers can yield a happier workforce performing a critical mission for the nation along with the potential for some new investment in modernization and innovation. – American Enterprise InstituteMichele Flournoy and Stephen Ondra write: By adopting value-based health care approaches and benefit designs, DOD can keep faith with those who serve by improving the both the consumer experience and quality of care they receive, while also ensuring that burgeoning health care costs do not undermine the DOD’s ability to provide the best possible equipment and training to those sent into harm’s way to defend us. - Politico